Avalanche forecast

Central Sierra Nevada

Sierra Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 11 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Avalanche danger is LOW for all elevations and aspects. Minor loose wet instabilities are expected during the afternoon hours. Loose wet avalanches large enough to bury or injure a person are unlikely. Normal caution is advised. Sufficient snow cover for avalanche activity on SE-S-SW-W aspects exists only in isolated portions of the forecast area. Much deeper, continuous snow cover exists on NW-N-NE-E aspects.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1

    Minimum air temperatures were several degrees warmer last night at the mid and upper elevations than they have been the past two nights. Despite the warmer air temperatures, a decent overnight snow surface refreeze is expected to have occurred due to radiational cooling under clear skies. This refreeze could be a bit thinner than what existed the past two mornings. As daytime warming progresses, areas of surface wet snow will form again today on sun exposed slopes. Little to no snow cover remains on the vast majority of SE-S-SW-W aspects. Instability concerns on these aspects are confined to highly localized areas where continuous snow cover exists. E aspects continue to hold significant snow cover around the vast majority of the forecast area. Surface wet snow several inches deep will exist on E aspects by this afternoon. Sun angles are still not quite high enough to create large amounts of snow surface melt on NW-N-NE aspects 35 degrees and steeper. As a result, a lesser degree of surface wet snow formation will continue to occur on steep northerly aspects. With free water drainage well established on all aspects, wet snow instability is expected to be limited to human triggered roller balls, pinwheels, and human triggered loose wet sluffs in steep terrain that require a push to set into motion. Loose wet avalanches large enough to bury or injure a person remain unlikely today. Keep in mind that terrain traps such as gullies and cliffs below can greatly magnify the consequences of very small avalanches that would otherwise be too small to bury or injure a person.

Avalanche Discussion

Observations made yesterday on Tamarack Peak (Mount Rose area) revealed that recent storm snow on E aspects was rapidly assimilating with the older melt-freeze crust below it. All N-NE-E aspects traveled held ski and boot supportable melt-freeze crust under either dry or wet surface snow at mid day. True north aspects in this area between 9,000' and 10,000' held 2 to 4 inches of recent storm snow that had yet to undergo its first melt-freeze cycle as of mid day yesterday. Skier triggered roller balls and pinwheels up to 12 inches in diameter were widespread on E aspects at all elevations by 11 am. Numerous ski cuts on NE-E aspects produced only roller balls and pinwheels. No loose wet sluffs were observed prior to departure from the area at 12:30 pm.

A report was received for yesterday from an party that toured west of Carson Pass on a W aspect between 8,500' and 9,000'. Surface wet snow 1 to 2 inches deep over supportable melt-freeze crust was noted around 1 pm. Surface wet snow depth progressed to 3 to 5 inches later in the afternoon. Skier triggered roller balls up to 6 inches in diameter were noted, with no additional evidence of surface wet snow instability observed.

Regions covered